Duke will cut the ribbon to mark the opening of its new cancer center Thursday.
It stands seven stories tall and has more than 260,000 square feet of space, but what Duke says is unique is that it was built on advice from patients.
On Thursday, Duke will dedicate the new center with a ribbon cutting that will include speeches from Gov. Beverly Perdue and Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and CEO of Duke University Health System.
Also this week, makeovers were given to several cancer patients in the new boutique.
Cancer survivor Melissa Culbreth was diagnosed with cancer while in Iraq.
"I'm a chaplain with the N.C. Army National Guard," said Culbreth. "One Sunday night I finished chapel and was taking a shower and noticed a lump."
She's had surgery and chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer at Duke, but the makeover is a different type of treatment.
"Breast cancer really takes a toll on a woman's self image," explained Culbreth. "To not only lose a breast, your hair _ the whole world changes."
Culbreth lost her straight hair and it's now coming back curly.
"They tell you your hair can change," said Culbreth. "For me it was texture."
The new boutique is designed to help patients deal with those other changes that come with cancer.
"One of the great things about the design of the building is that we did it with patient and staff input," said associate chief nursing officer, Tracey Gosselin.
The outpatient center has more than 70 beds and chairs, but what Gosselin says makes the cancer center patient-focused is the resource center, on-site pharmacy and something they call a "quiet room".
"It's really a space to step back and reflect," said Gosselin. "Take a few moments on a busy day here and also to have moments of reflection."
Kevin Sowers of Duke University Hospitals said they built the center to handle the growth of new cancer patients expected over the next five years.
"The new cases in the next five years will be 23 percent just in the Triangle and across the state around 13 percent," said Sowers. "It will take all of us to care for the number of patients diagnosed with cancer in the coming years."
The project budget was planned at $235 million dollars, but it's opening under budget.
It officially opens for patients on Monday, Feb. 27.
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Source: http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/feb/23/duke-cancer-center-built-patient-mind-ar-1963482/
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